Neha Marda on embracing motherhood and balancing family and career
Neha Marda, acclaimed actress and new mother, welcomed her baby girl earlier this year and recently enjoyed a well-deserved vacation in Candolim with her family. In an interview, she delved into how motherhood has transformed her perspective and her efforts to harmonize her domestic and professional roles as she prepares to return to acting.
Radiant in a pink-purple flowy halter dress, Neha Marda, renowned for her role in “Balika Vadhu,” exudes elegance as she enters a café in Candolim. She shared, “This is my first trip to Goa after almost 1.5 years. It was very rejuvenating, just to take a bike ride, or a drive, and smell the fresh air. Mine was a planned pregnancy and I worked hard to get healthy over the last two years, to have a healthy baby as I’m no longer in my early 20s. So, coming to Goa was a refreshing holiday.”
Neha acknowledges that her life has undergone a complete transformation since her baby’s arrival. She shared how her focus shifted from herself to her child, emphasizing, “She is literally a part of me, and I have started thinking of her first. Even when I work, I must think about her, and how I can work around her timings, the locations shouldn’t be too far from where she is. Though the grandparents and nannies are present, she is my responsibility first. She is the focus of all my conversations too. Earlier, I used to wonder why people keep talking about their babies, it’s such a boring thing, now I do the same. I talk about her to everyone. I’ve become a typical mother.”
While Neha expresses a longing for her pre-baby life, she remains resolute in her journey. She candidly admitted, “I don’t know how my life will be in the future. Though there are things in my control, like I can express milk for the baby and then go out and return late, I also have help to look after her, but my mental state can never be the same, even though you can physically look and do the same as before.”
Neha’s path to motherhood was marked by determination, despite previous miscarriages. She highlighted her journey, sharing, “I was never an ambitious mother; it was the opposite. My family never stressed me out about having a baby. I’ve had 2-3 miscarriages, and I was exhausted after that. I didn’t feel much pain that time. Even when Anaya was born, she was in the hospital for 20 days… She has grown on me now and can’t imagine my life without her,” she smiles.
Neha is dedicated to regaining her pre-pregnancy fitness and occasionally experiences anxiety about it. She expressed, “I get anxiety, not because of what people will say, but for myself to be fitter and lighter. No matter the work demands, work is no longer constrained with one’s figure.” Neha’s dedication to her daughter’s nourishment has influenced her priorities, and she shared, “I will take up a regime that suits me, but I have made sure that for a whole year, I will not compromise on the fact that Anaya needs to be fed.”
Regarding her career, Neha is enthusiastic about TV and web series work. She looks forward to projects that allow her to manage her professional commitments and personal life, stating, “That would help me balance work with my personal life, as I have to see my daughter every day, and can’t keep her away.”